1. List every tool by job
Group your software by the job it does: CRM, project management, accounting, email marketing, password management, design, help desk. This shows overlaps, where two tools do the same job.
2. Count who really needs each tool
Not everyone needs every tool. Sales needs the CRM, the whole team needs chat and a password manager, finance needs accounting. Seat counts per tool are the biggest driver of cost.
3. Pick the plan you will actually need
Base the plan on the features you need in six months, not today. A forced upgrade mid-year is one of the most common budget overruns.
4. Choose the billing terms
Decide annual or monthly per tool. Use the annual cost as the comparable number in either case.
5. Add one-time and usage costs
Add setup fees for Year 1 and estimate usage-based charges, such as contacts or devices, for the next 12 months.
6. Check cost per employee
Divide the annual total by your headcount. Tracking this number over time shows whether your stack is growing faster than your team.
Do it in one place
The SpecEntry Stack Builder follows exactly these steps: choose category, software, plan and quantity for each tool, and it returns monthly, annual, per-employee and Year 1 totals from official vendor pricing.
Use it on real prices